The present invention relates to fabric buildings supported by pressurized air pumped into the interior of the building, and, more particularly, to such buildings which are provided with arrangements for minimizing the heat flow through the building walls. These fabric buildings are composed of a plastic-coated fabric shell or skin which is anchored and sealed to the ground. Large capacity air blowers are used to pump air into the building to maintain the air pressure within the building somewhat above atmospheric. The blowers replace the air which flows through any perforations in the plastic coating on the fabric, that air which escapes when the doors of the building are opened, and that air which escapes because of imperfect seals at the ground and around doors.
Inflatable buildings of this type are used to enclose recreational facilities for use in the winter time. Swimming pools and tennis courts are two examples of such facilities which are commonly converted for winter use by the erection of an inflatable building. Naturally, such buildings must be heated and this is done by heating the air that is pumped into the building to maintain its interior pressure. Most of these recreational structures are used only in the winter. In the spring, they are deflated, taken apart, and the sections are rolled up for storage.
Attempts have been made in the past to insulate inflated fabric buildings by providing double-wall panels, however, the arrangements used have not been satisfactory. The previously tried double wall units could not be rolled without breaking the inner wall, the construction of the double-wall units was frequently not effective in significantly reducing heat transmission, and the construction of the units increased the rate of air loss from the building, thus increasing the heating requirements.